My right field of vision went black. I could feel something foreign inside my eye. It was a bullet.
Before the gun could pierce my right eye, I reflexively twisted my head aside and avoided having my brain blown through.
'....'
Blood filled the socket. I lowered my head and let it pour out of the hollow where my eye had been.
Guh! My brain had not suffered direct damage, but a shock nearly equal to it surged through me. I fell into a groggy state.
At that moment, another flash of reflected light burst before me.
Violet saw it clearly.
The bullet that had pierced the Major's right eye struck his shoulder.
Thud!
That was the finishing blow. Ioannis, staggering as blood gushed from his eye socket, finally collapsed completely.
"Major!"
Violet cried out toward the fallen Major. His wounds were severe. Even for someone as superhuman as him, they were enough to kill him.
The thought that the Major might really die turned Violet's mind white. The color drained from her face.
He'll die. The Major will die.
"......"
Rage surged up. She immediately raised her rifle and dropped into a kneeling firing position.
Since the gun had come from the same direction twice, she knew where it was.
The enemy sniper seemed to already be taking aim, the scope glinting with reflected light. She had no idea when the bullet would pierce her.
Violet, on the other hand, had no scope. She aimed only with the iron sights attached to the rifle and her naked eyes.
.....
For one fleeting instant, she went beyond human limits.
Bang!
Three seconds after taking aim, Violet's bullet fired. Strangely enough, it flew straight to the sniper.
It shattered the scope and pierced the sniper's right eye. Violet would not have known it, but the sniper had been just about to steady his breathing and pull the trigger.
If she had been even a little slower, Violet and Ioannis would have died.
"Major, Major."
She had taken out the most dangerous sniper. She could breathe for a moment.
Violet dropped the rifle and gently shook Ioannis's shoulder.
Ioannis opened his left eye.
"Major... are you conscious...?"
Her voice trembled like a fledgling bird's.
"...I'm fine. I'm awake. Let's get out of here."
Ioannis used his sword as a cane and pulled himself upright.
Another surge of blood spilled out.
Violet moved to support him from the side. Ioannis pushed away the hand trying to steady him.
"We don't know when the enemy will attack. Get into fighting stance."
"But your condition—"
"...I'm fine. At least not enough to be a burden to you."
The sniper's second bullet had lodged in his shoulder, but fortunately it had not struck bone, so the worst of the injury had been avoided.
He pressed a bandage hard over his right eye. The white cloth quickly turned red. Blood spread without restraint.
With one hand, Ioannis held a pistol; with the other, he kept changing the bandage. Glancing over the railing at the situation outside, he said, "The troops are gathering at the gate. It looks like our side has repelled the ambush and is attacking the fortress."
"Then should we join up with our forces?"
I nodded.
For now, that was the best option. But there were still enemy remnants inside the fortress. The allied forces that had attacked the fortress were all the way over there. To join them, we would have to face countless enemies.
Just the two of us.
I looked down at her in silence.
There was only one way Violet could survive this situation.
"Violet, if I draw the enemy's attention, you attack."
"...What?"
"My body can still hold out. And the bleeding from my eye is already slowing. I can last at least five minutes. You can do that, right?"
Violet looked me straight in the eye and said, each word clear and precise, "In other words, you are telling me to fight while using the Major as bait?"
For some reason, I felt a chill.
"It's not bait. It's the best option. And it's how I fight."
It was nothing strange for me, since I had always fought at close range with a sword in hand.
"But look at yourself right now, Major! At this rate, you may truly die in battle!"
Violet barked at me. I recoiled before I knew it. I blinked.
Not only was she defying my order, she was shouting at me? I was stunned.
"If the Major's body were in normal condition, I would agree as well. But not now. I will never permit it!"
Never permit it.
Something was wrong here.
"I... I'm the Major and you're the soldier—"
"No."
"Violet."
"No. I will take the lead. It seems the Major has suffered a blow to the brain and is having difficulty with normal thought. From this point on, I will command. Please follow my orders."
"...."
I was at a loss for words. But I could not disobey her. Arguing would only waste time.
"...Understood."
Violet nodded and took the lead as we escaped the fortress.
I had always been the one in front... Standing behind her like this felt strange. Violet's back looked very small. And yet I trusted it.
Then, instinctively, I turned my head.
There were enemies there, aiming at Violet. Hidden by the corner, they had only just come into view.
I had no time to speak. I fired at them with my pistol. The bullets missed. I had not meant to hit them in the first place. It was suppressive fire, meant to slow their shooting.
Even so, it missed badly. The loss of my right field of vision had thrown off my sense of distance.
"Violet!"
"Understood."
Violet was already aiming at the enemies. Bang! One enemy fell.
The next enemy I killed with a precise shot from my left eye.
"Huu..."
We had cleared the first hurdle.
But we could not let our guard down. Violet and I kept our senses taut.
As we moved to link up with our forces, enemies appeared here and there. We killed them all. We had no choice.
There were only two of us, and we could not drag prisoners along with us. Besides, if we left them alive, we had no idea when they might betray us.
Taking that kind of risk would have been foolish. When life and death were on the line, we had no choice but to be cold.
At times, we ran out of bullets and used the rifles of enemies we had killed.
Once Violet took the lead, I could no longer use my sword.
That was because Violet fired before I ever had a chance to draw it.
"...From here on, the enemies will be in squads."
"Yes."
"I'll take the lead again. The bleeding has stopped too. I need to use my sword now."
We were entering the outer edge of the fortress, the area where enemy movement was thickest. To join our forces, we had to break through here.
Unlike the one or two enemies we had faced before, this was truly dangerous now.
"...Then we'll have to fight."
"If we do nothing here, we may lose the battle. If that happens, the southern army will retreat... and we'll be isolated."
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.
But in war, the worst-case scenario happens often.
"Violet, I'll charge first. Then follow behind me."
"...You really are all right, aren't you?"
"Don't worry. I won't die."
It was a lie.
I had resolved to die today.
Violet let out a breath of relief.
"Understood. I will follow behind the Major."
The final battle.
Intense Fortress was the place where Violet would lose both arms.
It was also where Violet would first come face to face with love.
There were only two things I wanted.
The first was victory in this battle. If we captured Intense Fortress, the war would tilt so heavily toward the Southern Alliance that the outcome could no longer be reversed.
Even if the enemy did not surrender after losing Intense Fortress, the war would be won with ease.
The second was Violet. I only prayed that she would not lose both arms, that she would not die.
And that wish came true.
"Major!"
Violet's voice sounded muffled. I could hear nothing through my torn right ear. My whole body hurt. It felt as though I had taken a bullet straight through the liver. The bleeding would not stop.
"Major! Major Basileus. Please, no. No. Don't close your eyes. Please..."
"..."
I was sitting against the grimy wall of the stairwell. In my hand was a sword stained red. I had killed dozens with this blade.
Haa...
I drew a weak breath.
In front of me, Violet was crying. She kept calling my name and pulling at my collar.
With a hand made of flesh and bone, not an artificial one.
I stared down at that hand for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
"I'm glad."
"Major."
"That you didn't lose your arm."
"Major...!"
She pulled my head against her chest. She must have thought something was wrong with my head.
I'm fine. Very fine. And happy, too.
"Violet. Can you call my name?"
"If we make it out of here, if you survive and return alive, I'll call you then. So please, get up. Let's go back together!"
"Violet."
I brushed her cheek. Soft skin met my fingertips.
"From now on, you'll live far longer than the three years you spent with me. If you live alone, you'll be lonely. So choose a partner you can truly trust, and live by relying on each other."
"Ma...jor?"
Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Violet looked down at me in a daze. Tears still streamed from her blue eyes.
I reached out and wiped them away. My fingertips trembled.
"Don't get hurt. Health is the most important thing. There are many bad adults in this world. If you need anything, ask Hajins or Gilbert. Never trust other people carelessly. Always judge. Always think."
"I have the Major. Please judge for me. Please think for me!"
I pretended not to hear and went on.
"And... forget me."
"....."
"I can't be proud of myself before you. Forget me and live freely. Do what you want, eat as much as you want, sleep as long as you want. It's your freedom. No one will order you around anymore... no one."
"Why, why are you saying this...?"
"And...."
I moved my lips.
I looked up at Violet, then averted my gaze, then looked back at her again.
If I did not say this, I felt I would regret it until the day I died.
"...I love you."
"Lo...ve?"
"Truly, I love you."
"What is love?"
Violet wore an expression as if she had broken. Please, don't make that face.
Blood on her, tears falling... her lips trembling uncontrollably as she asked again tore at my heart.
"What is love? I don't understand. I... I don't know!"
Violet cried without end.
Boom!... Rumble!*
Explosions could be felt throughout the fortress.
Thud...
Violet, having exhausted herself, collapsed. I caught her. Then I whispered, Rest. I'll take care of the rest.
I stood up while holding Violet. One arm supported the backs of her knees, the other circled her shoulders. With every step, my legs trembled.
Step, step...
Every time I walked, red footprints were left behind. The blood flowing from my body had soaked into my boots.
It felt as though I were looking at the life I had lived. An ordinary man, blinded by revenge, became a soldier, went to war, became a hero... and in the end, became a butcher.
Memories swam through my mind. The first person I killed, the comrade who died after taking a bullet to the liver, the girl I had saved, the ruined city, the mountain of corpses.
"Maybe it would have been better to die."
I muttered it under my breath.
"Where do you think you're going, butcher of Leidenschaftlich!"
Just as I was trying to move toward a place safe from the collapsing building, a deep voice stopped me.
A broad man with a heavy build. A man with a striking part in his hair. It was Brigadier General Merculov. He had soldiers with him.
"If death is better, how about dying by my hand? I'll kill you painlessly!"
"That doesn't sound bad."
"Oh? Really?"
"If I were alone, maybe."
Violet was in my arms. Only I could protect Violet.
If I died, Violet would be exposed to the enemy. Would they really leave her alone?
Given everything Violet had done so far, absolutely not. They would surely drag her away, execute her, or use her as a prisoner of war.
That was the worst outcome I would not accept.
I set Violet down behind cover. Brigadier General Merculov sneered at me.
"Chivalry? Useless. Butcher."
"Chivalry."
I snorted at the ridiculous words.
"No matter how much of a butcher and a valkyrie you are... in the end, you were still human. One of you is unconscious, and the other will die soon enough."
"You talk too much."
"So, will you not surrender?"
"That's what I was about to ask you. Surrender."
"Madman. Fire!!"
The battle began. The enemy fired their rifles all at once.
I leapt diagonally in an instant. I dodged the bullets and closed in on them.
Splat!
A fountain of blood burst from a severed neck.
Regripping my sword, I stepped forward and put my weight into the blade, cutting the enemies down.
Muscle and bone were hacked apart with heavy, wet sounds. Blood and fragments of organs splattered across my body.
Crack!
The sword that had gone into a trapezius muscle stopped near the navel. I kicked the soldier and pulled the blade free.
Then I reversed my grip and horizontally severed the head of the enemy charging at me.
The upper part of the body vanished above the enemy's mouth. The lower jaw and tongue were plainly visible.
Bang, bang!!
Bullets struck me. I did not bother avoiding them. My plan was to kill the enemies as quickly as possible and escape this place.
Slash, slash, slash!!
My swordsmanship had no special tricks. No dazzling flourishes to please the eye, no clever techniques to make anyone gasp.
It only existed to kill the enemy in front of me. That was all swordsmanship was for. There was no grand meaning, no lofty conviction.
As for me, the enemies had gone all in as well.
They swung fists, bayonets, daggers.
A soldier drove a dagger beneath my throat. I smashed my elbow into his face. His features caved in.
I grabbed the neck of a soldier rushing at me. I lifted him and threw him at another soldier.
I thrust my sword at the soldiers piled together.
Thud!
The blade pierced through them. I gripped it with both hands and swung it in that state.
The two corpses flew out and knocked the soldiers down. I charged them. I kicked one under the chin and clenched my fist like a hammer, smashing another face to pieces.
"...A demon!"
Suddenly, one of the enemies shouted.
I was standing atop the bodies. The surviving enemies all had eyes filled with terror.
"A demon, a real demon!"
It was a familiar label. Yes, keep calling me that.
I killed them without feeling a thing. The only enemy left was Brigadier General Merculov behind them.
I walked toward him.
Then a grenade came flying.
I was about to knock it away with my sword, but my arm would not lift. My muscles refused to obey.
Boom!!
I barely managed to curl my arm in and protect my face and neck. The explosion sent me flying. I slammed into a wall.
I got back up. The right arm that had taken the blast head-on was reduced to a rag.
I glared at the enemy who had thrown the grenade.
It was a young man with a horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose. In the original story, he had blown off Violet's arm. He had tried to blow off mine instead. Was that a blessing, in a way?
Bang!
I fired my pistol with my other hand. The young man collapsed.
I was about to shoot Merculov as well, but he fired first.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang! Bang!
Merculov fired wildly like a madman. It was a desperate struggle to survive.
Bullets lodged in my body. My innards screamed in pain.
Staggering, I calmly took aim. Then I fired. Unfortunately, the moment I shot, a bullet struck my shoulder and threw off my aim.
"Agh!"
Instead, Brigadier General Merculov, who had been hit in the arm, screamed. Clutching his wounded arm, he ran.
Click, click.
I fired at the fleeing Merculov, but no bullets came out. I could not let him get away. I picked up my dropped sword and was about to chase after him when—
Crrrr...
The building gave an unstable groan.
Instinctively sensing danger, I ran toward Violet. My legs would not listen. I slapped my thigh. Move, damn it. Move.
I forced myself to run.
The building collapsed. Debris poured down.
I got inside by a hair's breadth. I held Violet in my arms.
Something immense crushed my back. My whole body hurt.
No matter how strong I was, if I stayed like this, I would be crushed to death.
I jammed my sword between the rubble with all my strength. Since it was an adamantium blade, it should hold for a while...
I pulled Violet free. We had to escape before the sword broke. Kreeeek... The sound of cracks running through the blade echoed out.
I hurried. Holding Violet, I dragged us out from the rubble. A heartbeat later, the debris caved in completely.
Whoooooosh!
As the building collapsed, the wind it unleashed whipped my hair and clothes.
I looked around. Merculov, the fortress commander, seemed to have fled, and the enemy troops were running as well... the remaining stragglers were being cleaned up by our forces.
Our allies were running toward us in a panic.
We had won. The war was over.
'It's over.'
At that realization, all the strength left my body at once.
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